Surprisingly, this opened a world of curiosity for me: “Can I cook? What would it be like to become a chef? Should I start cooking? What are my options?” Not everyone would understand [the appeal of] cooking professionally. For some, cooking was just something you did on the side and as a hobby. Gladly, my parents were supportive, so off I went to culinary school. Life put me in this direction and made me love cooking professionally, slowly but immensely.

What is one of the oldest or most precious memories you have with your mother, centred around food or cooking?

One of the memories I have of my mum was watching her make cakes at a bakery/eatery that was owned by her side of the family in San Diego. We would visit every summer, and maybe 50 per cent of the time we didn’t spend sightseeing we spent at the bakery. My sister and I would be the kids that ran and played around a Filipino-owned bakery growing up.

After playing we would then have the privilege to eat all the Filipino food they sold: adobo, munggo, paksiw, chicharon bulaklak, dinuguan, Filipino pastries, you name it. It was the best. Having said all this, my mum would be happy baking cakes and decorating them herself all day. I have never seen my mom happier.

Do you have a favourite recipe that you learned from your mother that you hold dear? 

One dish or recipe that I learned to make from my mum is tinumis, a dish from Nueva Ecija. It’s pork cooked in sampalok and pork blood, a sour version of dinuguan—one of my favourites. Every time she would make this, everyone would be extremely excited for dinner. She would make it in big batches so we could have it for the next two to even three days. Some would even ask if we had leftovers and if they could get some from her.

Her version would involve frying some of the pork fat to make it crispy and adding the [pork to the stew] last, once the rest of the stew was done. You’d have very tender parts of the pork, fried and crispy pork fat, sourness, and that very rich flavour of pork blood cut with a little bit of ginger—to die for.

See also: How Are These Chefs Pushing The Boundaries of Filipino Food?

Though she boasts a rich background in the world of international high-fashion business, Mela Sison found herself back in the Philippines working with one of her greatest role models, her mother—culinary legend chef Heny Sison. From redesigning the website for Heny Sison Culinary School to being creative consultant for new Spanish restaurant Deo Gracias, she powerfully marries her retail and design know-how with her immersions in F&B.

In what ways did your mother influence your F&B career?

My mother has always lived by the proverb, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” To this day, it still baffles me how she balances her full-time role as a hands-on mother and passionate multi-hyphenate culinarian. My sister and I would tag along to her workplace, and we are blessed to have seen her process, from making wedding cakes to delivering them herself to the venue, teaching at her culinary school or at an out-of-town food demo, food styling, and managing her restaurant businesses.

Her thirst for learning, relentless passion for her craft, impeccable attention to detail, and ability to wear many hats always shine through. I have adopted some of these characteristics throughout my career; I have worked in several cross-functional roles always remained passionate and open to learning and gaining experiences. Her ways have influenced me to stay observant and abreast with fashion, food, or design trends by researching, going on trips, and enrolling in various continuing education courses.

What is one of the oldest or most precious memories you have with your mother, centred around food or cooking?

My earliest and fondest memories with my mother were always at her culinary school, which was and is still my playground. Growing up, my sister and I would often attend her “Baking and Cooking for Kids” classes every summer or hang around and listen to lectures, which helped me ace my home economics classes in high school.

A more recent memory that moved me was when my mother allowed me to shoot a live video of her conducting a free baking class, where she baked pan de sal that we gave to some of our medical front liners. Though badly shot, that video somewhat became viral among baking groups here and abroad. To this day, her students still mention how they were able to learn from it and used their gained knowledge to start their businesses since that video aired. It indeed was heartwarming to give back and be able to uplift people’s spirits.

See also: The 15 Best Spanish Restaurants in the Tatler Dining Guide 2022

Do you have a favourite recipe that you learned from your mother that you hold dear?

It’s quite difficult for me to pick a favourite as I have always been blessed with having a lifetime access pass to the Heny Sison Culinary School lectures and library of recipes. There is, however, one heirloom recipe for leche flan, passed down by my grandmother Lily, which my mother would often recite to my sister and me–it even had its own numerical mnemonics.

During my elementary days, my older sister Denise (the better cook among kids) and I would gravitate toward my mother’s cookie class recipes and bake us after-school snacks. There was a time when we would bake a new cookie every week, from our favourite snickerdoodles to crinkles, and in the end, we would end up with our own labelled cookie jars.

Now that I’m back in Manila and reunited with the best resource and the best kitchen equipment, I was able to bond with my mother and get into cooking and baking again. I can proudly say that my simple cookies have now evolved into sophisticated French macarons, with the option of it having a Swiss or Italian buttercream filling at that. 

See also: Foodie Jargon: Pie-Lovers, Do You Know the Difference Between Pies, Tarts, and Galettes?

With 14 years of experience in Paris (including many Michelin-starred restaurants), chef Aaron Isip is the creative mind behind Gastronômade, a gourmet sauce and meal kit service he launched over the pandemic. He has since expanded with a commissary, as well as soon-to-open cloud kitchen brand Bistronômade and an unnamed modern Asian-inspired concept. Keep your eyes peeled for private dining, too.

In what ways did your mother influence your F&B career?

My mum passed away when I was just 7 years old, but I still have fond memories of her—especially for her love of the bounty of the sea, as she spent her childhood years in a seaside town in Iloilo known for its seafood. 
 
What is one of the oldest or most precious memories you have with your mother, centred around food or cooking?

It would have to be our beach trips, where she never missed out on buying mostly live fish or seafood, which she would simply grill over charcoal or coconut embers to feed the whole family. 

Do you have a favourite recipe that you learned from your mother that you hold dear?

Unfortunately, I was way too young [when she passed] so I never really learned a recipe from her per se. But every time I cook crabs, it instantly reminds me of her and her love for these delectable crustaceans. You could say that I developed my love and passion for all things fish and seafood from my mother.

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